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Media Coverage of
2007 USA Masters Track and Field Indoor Championships
March 23 – 25, 2007 – Boston, MA
Friday, March 23, 2007
Sullivan back to make run at mark
By Joe Reardon/ Masters Track
Mike Sullivan often had considered heading back to his roots in Boston from his home in Arizona for the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. The urge to compete, however, was never strong enough.
On Sunday that will change. The former Brockton High and Arizona State 400-meter ace will have his sights set squarely on Bill Collins’ world indoor best of 22.57 seconds for the 200-meter dash in the 45-49 age group at the 2007 USA Masters at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.
Sullivan goes into the three-day meet, which starts today, having recently blasted a 23.1 clocking on an oversized, unbanked indoor track. He also will be competing in the 60- and 400-meter races. Sullivan’s 51.08 in the latter is the fastest in the country.
“It’ll be great, I’m excited,” said Sullivan of racing at the Lewis facility for the first time. “I figured if I’m traveling 3,000 miles, I might as well do a few events. The last few years I thought about going back and this year I’m going. I don’t get back too often.”
Sullivan doesn’t run indoors too often, but he’s not exactly a fish out of water when it comes to the smaller oval. As a member of Brockton High’s track team in 1979, Sullivan anchored the Boxers’ 4 x 440-yard relay team that owned the national record. Sullivan teamed up with Jim MacKinnon, Paul Neves and Dennis Doucette to clock a stunning 3:17.8 at Harvard University’s Gordon Track facility.
Heading into that 1979 meet, the foursome had a reputation of being fearless competitors, no matter who they were racing. Sullivan remembers teams scratching from the event - even college teams.
“I remember getting to the meet and watching college teams dropping out because they didn’t want to lose to a high school team,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan went on to run a scintillating 46.45 at Arizona State and has been coaching junior high track for the past 20 years.
This year’s meet is among the deepest yet with 36 world champions competing, including Philippa Raschker of Marietta, Ga. In 2004, Raschker became the first masters track athlete to be a finalist for the Sullivan Award, which recognizes the country’s top amateur athlete. The 60-year-old Raschker will have a busy meet, competing in the 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put and the pentathlon.
Finals run from 4-6 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Link to article: http://sports.bostonherald.com/otherSports/view.bg?articleid=190334
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Raschker a Master of her domain
By Joe Reardon
Philippa Raschker was still breathing hard 10 minutes after completing the 800-meter run - the final event of the pentathlon - during yesterday’s National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center. As tired as Raschker was after crossing the finish line of her toughest event, it couldn’t take away the broad smile on her face.
Raschker, who looks a dozen years younger than her 60 years, started the day off with a world 60-64 age-group record in the 60-meter hurdles (10.04) on the way to a new world record of 4,844 points in the pentathlon. The mark destroyed the previous record of 3,963 set by German Christa Stedtler in 2004.
The Marietta, GA., resident, via Germany, broke the American records in the high jump (1.33 meters) and long jump (4.27 meters) in setting the new standard. Raschker already owns the 50-54 and 55-59 age-group world bests in the grueling, five-event competition. Now that she’s in a new age division, Raschker is looking forward to going after and breaking the current records.
"I just turned 60 in February so I’m the young kid on the block and that’s what you look for," said Raschker. "What I really would have liked to do was get 5,000 points."
Raschker, the first masters athlete to ever be a finalist for the Sullivan Award for the country’s best amateur athlete, wasn’t at all surprised with her world record in the 60-meter hurdles. The mark bettered her own 10.28 record set in the National Masters Heptathlon Championships in late February in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She was just as dominant in the seven-event competition, finishing with a world record of 6,9993 points.
"The hurdles came on the second day in the heptathlon," said Raschker. "I woke up that morning and I was very sore from the previous day. Even though I set a world record then, I knew I would run faster here."
One of the most recognizable female master track athletes in the world, the personable Raschker is on a comeback of sorts after battling Achilles and calf injuries the past two years. The start to her three days of competition in nine events at Reggie Lewis couldn’t have gotten off to a stronger start and certainly gave her a boost. "I’m gaining more confidence," she said. "I was confident after the heptathlon and even more confident now."
Raschker’s nomination for the Sullivan Award was a great honor and surprise. The first thing she thought about was the affect it would have on bringing attention to masters track in the U.S. "In Europe, track is recognized so much, more than in the United States," she said. "We need goals to get up in the morning. These are people who come from all over the country. You really look forward to it. They’re great people."
When Raschker was notified that she was among the group of 12 up for the Sullivan Award, her "jaw dropped." To be included among the likes of basketball star LeBron James, eventual winner Michael Phelps and speed skater Apolo Ohno was a thrill in itself. She eventually made the cut to the final five.
"It was an honor to get on the list," said Raschker. "And then to be one of the final five, it was incredible."
Raschker will continue her competition today on the track she has grown to love competing on. "I like Boston (Reggie Lewis) very well," she said. "It’s banked just right and the facility is marvelous.
"We all love to come into Boston."
Link to article: http://sports.bostonherald.com/otherSports/view.bg?articleid=190570
March 24, 2007
Sports Log
Raschker and Bell are up to old tricks
Sixty-year-old Philippa Raschker set the world record in the pentathlon in the women's 60-64 division at the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center. Raschker, who set a world mark in the 60 hurdles (10.04 seconds), totaled 4,844 points.
William Bell, 85, cleared 8 feet to set a world record in his age group in the pole vault.
Link to article:
http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/articles/2007/03/24/iguodalas_streak_ends_at_232_games/
Saturday, March 24, 2007
True masters of the game
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Sure, aging baby boomers are all over the 60 is the new 50 thing. But some folks are out to prove the case this weekend at the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Some 800 athletes - men and women - will be competing at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in five-year age categories ranging from 30 to past 90. There’ll be competitions in a host of running events along with pole vaulting, long jump, high jump, shot put and a pentathalon. Competitors include 36 world champions.
These athletes are an inspiration to couch potatoes of any age. And since admission to the competition is free, why not drag Junior away from his X-Box for an afternoon for a look at what some athletes old enough to be his grandpa can do?
As for that old chestnut, “you’re not getting older; you’re getting better.” Well some can do both.
Link to article: http://news.bostonherald.com/editorial/view.bg?articleid=190510
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Martin adds mile win to a masterful meet
By Joe Reardon
If Kathryn Martin wasn’t busy tearing up the Reggie Lewis Center track yesterday, she could have easily worked out with one of the local college teams and none of her "teammates" would have known the difference.
The 55-year-old doesn’t look a day over 30 and runs like an athlete in her mid 20s. No doubt the Northport, NY, resident could score some serious points in the distance events at the college level.
Martin, though, decided against taking in a college practice and headed back to the National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships and that only meant trouble for the competitors in her mile heat.
The morning after setting the 55-59 age-group world record in the 3,000-meter run (10:35.76), Martin took the lead at the gun and simply ran away from the field for an easy 5:27.89 victory. The Atlanta Track Club’s Jeanne Daprano broke the world record in the 70-74 division with her 7:04.15.
Martin, who owns the mile world mark in the same age group (5:19.87) used her compact, efficient stride to run a controlled race in anticipation for today’s 800-meter run. A win there would give Martin a perfect three wins in three events in the prestigious masters meet.
"I was tight after last night," Martin admitted. "I love to run with the 45 year olds because they’re faster and they pull you to a faster time. I ran my first 800 five years ago and died. I went out too fast. There’s no room for error. You can’t take it out too fast, but if you go out too slow there’s no room to make it up."
Martin enjoys running the varied distances. Her last road race was a 15K (9.3 miles) and she plans to compete in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs at the outdoor nationals this August in Orono, ME.
"I like all the distances," she said. "It keeps competing that much more exciting. It’s not the same thing every time."
Martin can only smile when asked if people mistake her for being younger than her age. "Some people don’t believe me and want to see a birth certificate," she said with a laugh. "I attribute it to being out there running and keeping the blood flowing."
As for her world-record mile time, Martin is confident she can lower it even more. Yesterday wasn’t the day to do it, though. "You have to run one hard race," she said. "I’m a better morning runner than evening. And that (record) was in the evening."
Daprano, who traded hugs with Martin following the race, knew about halfway through that she’d break the world record. "I had my watch set and was hitting what I wanted," she said. "I wound up turning my watch off and running. I’m thrilled."
Link to article: http://sports.bostonherald.com/otherSports/view.bg?articleid=190719
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Four-ever young, seniors take aim at world record
By Steve Nearman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
BOSTON -- There's an old joke about the 90-year-old guy who was asked what he thought was the greatest thing about being 90 years old. "No peer pressure," he replied without hesitation.
This afternoon at the 2007 USA Masters Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, four men who have been on this earth for seven decades will crush the world indoor record for the 4x400 relay for their age.
It is such a certainty, barring some unbelievable disaster, and here is why: the record is 5:35. The four 70-year-old members on the team -- including local legend Larry Colbert -- ran yesterday and their combined times were 4:14.
"Why is the current record so slow?" asked team member Bob Lida, from Wichita, Kan. "You can't find the guys."
Lida, Colbert, Rich Rizzo and Dick Camp already own the 4x200 indoor world record. They knocked the daylights out of that standard three weeks ago at the New York City Armory, chopping more than four and a half seconds off the record to finish in 1:54.05.
The four runners averaged 28.5 seconds per 200 meters. Lida said he anchored that effort with an incredible 26.8 split.
But Lida and Co. are not satisfied with just one world record. They are going after all of the sprint records, subbing out Camp for Robert Cozens today for his 400 strength.
After today's man-handling of the 4x400 mark, Lida said the boys will take their traveling show to Austin, Texas, next weekend for an assault on the outdoor 4x200 record. Then they gather at the Penn Relays in late April, where they will try to rewrite history in outdoor 4x400 and 4x100 records.
For the group, it is more than just about the records. There is a special bond that has kept them competitors and close friends for as long as 30 years, with and without the baton.
"I've been racing against Rich and Larry since turning 40," said Lida, who has chosen not to retire and instead runs his own advertising agency. "I travel more for track than for business."
The one thing these guys have more of than speed is mutual respect.
Lida nailed an American record in the indoor 400 meters yesterday with Colbert in second. Colbert says of his swifter teammate: "To run behind a guy like Bob Lida is a pleasure because I know he'll make me better. He's the nation's best."
Lida said he thought the record was 63.4 seconds, but it doesn't matter anymore because he clocked a 61.35. He missed the world record by four-hundredths of a second, less than a blink.
Rather than revel in his feat, instead Lida puts things in perspective. "Indoor running is tough," he said. "This was my first run at this age since I turned 70 in November. I ran 60.3 last year. That's a lot to lose in one year."
But he also notes that some injuries have impeded his training and he hasn't been able to train hard this year. Nonetheless, he has the outdoor 400 world record of 60.77 on his to-do list.
After that, his goals are even loftier. Before Lida revealed his secret goal -- to be the first 70-year-old man in history to run 400 meters under 60 seconds -- his mind drifted back 48 years to the University of Kansas, when the then-22-year-old ran 46.1.